The Big Apple

Kathleen is off to NYC this week with my brother-in-law, and her cousin Madeline. They are headed to Long Island to visit Matt's family, and then into the city to see the sights. The kids are VERY excited. They've been counting change (found in couch cushions, and in various bowls around the house...lol) and have accumulated $150 for spending money. What they will buy with that money remains to be seen. Dang....I should have told her I wanted a Rolex! I think they're going for about $15 on the street! Hee!

Have any of you ever skated at Rockefeller Center? I have! That's me up there, in all my second-grade glory, knee-socks and all, skating at the rink. What a trip that was....me falling flat on my butt, whacking my head on the ice, seeing stars...some stranger helping me up....then we're all on the subway, and some big woman who was taller (and tougher) than me shoved ahead of me when we were getting off, and the doors were shutting, and my father threw himself between the doors so I could get off--AcK! I was so shy back then, too. Scary, man. Of course, we then had to have the whole discussion about "what happens if you get stuck on the subway car." You ride it to the next stop, get off, and WAIT. Oy. Glad that never happened. I don't know if any of you remember NYC in 1974, but the homeless people were EVERYwhere, and talk about DIRTY. There was trash everywhere, and it was smelly and scary. It's a different universe down there now.

I remember our biggest complaint ("we" being myself and my three sisters) was that we were wearing sneakers with our dresses and white knitted ponchos. We were horrified. We had never worn sneakers with dresses. Dresses were for Sundays at church, and you always wore your "dress" shoes. Well, not in NYC you don't. You wear your white sneakers, so that you can walk for miles without complaint. Nice try, Mom and Dad. Oh, and I had to visit just about every bathroom in NY. If I had been my parents, I would have lost my mind. Seriously. I have a nervous bladder. I think I peed 4 times during the Rockettes and the movie "Mame" at Radio City Music Hall. My mother should have been sainted.

I hope Kathleen is spared the stress of wardrobe issues and knocks on the head, and doesn't get lost on the Subway. If she can avoid all that, she should really enjoy herself! They brought a video camera and a digital camera with them--can't wait to see THOSE movies! They'll be back Friday evening. Meanwhile, I have work to do.